Panels

Impact of the Financial Crisis on Economic Policy

The Eurozone crisis has been on the headlines of the European and US political and economic discussion for the last three years. Undoubtedly, there have been several major achievements from the beginning of the Greek program and the creation of the EFSF/ESM in May 2010 to the recent adoption of growth compact and going through the LTRO, fiscal compact, the Greek debt restructuring and managing the risks of Spanish banks. However a lot has still to be done to get out of the crisis. In all cases March 2013 would be an excellent timing to revisit and evaluate Eurozone crisis management and to confront the US experience with that of the Eurozone.

A European Growth Model: What way forward?

As Europe gradually emerges from the economic turmoil of recent years, it must begin to chart a way forward and define the direction of its post-crisis reform pursuits. In the midst of continuing austerity programs, a pressing demographic outlook and increasing economic competition from rising powers, a new growth model is needed. This panel features three policy experts who will ask what Europe can do to return to growth, and what will be politically feasible.

Elsa ForneroItalian Minister of Labour, Social Policies and Equal Opportunities

The European Narrative: Shaping a Common European Identity

The construction of the European Union is of high necessity to improve supranational integration. So far, European integration has been mostly an elite and institutional project. It has failed to engage citizens and to create a strong European identity and strong European citizenship.
The question we will address during the panel is: how can we make a citizen of Finland feel closer to a citizen of Portugal than to an American one? What could be some of the practical policies we could put in place? This panel will be highly participatory, and we encourage attendees to come with their own ideas and share them with our panelists who are currently working on this topic in their respective think tanks and functions.

Driving Growth – Innovation and Entrepreneurship

The panel will bring together successful entrepreneurs, investors and academic experts, both from the US and Europe to offer a multi-sided perspective on Europe’s entrepreneurial environment. Our goal is it to shed light on opportunities, but also to discuss challenges including the perception of failure and the attitude towards entrepreneurial risk-taking. Is Europe’s culture inhospitable to entrepreneurs? What structural changes are necessary to promote innovation in Europe? We would like to look forward and discuss what is required to foster the creation of innovative and fast-growing companies that can fuel Europe’s growth in the future.

The Future of the European Foreign and Security Policy

With recent developments in Mali, Syria and Libya and ongoing international crises, the diplomatic role of the European Union remains to be determined. This panel will draw upon historical precedents and normative debates on the identity of the EU, to tackle current geopolitical challenges, and ask where, how and why the EU should play a role outside of its borders. It will address strengths and weaknesses of the EU as a foreign policy actor where diverse visions, and sometimes competing interests, interact in its decision-making process.

Neil HollandHead of the Europe Team at the British Embassy to the United States

Russian-European Energy Relations

The workshop will give an overview of current Russian-European Energy flows, along with discussion on the political reasoning/outlook from Russia’s end. It will specifically delve into how Russian energy policy has responded to the current financial crisis, highlighting any recent changes in the outlook for the future of energy supply to Europe. There will also be discussion about new technology and projects being developed in Russia, such as Yamal LNG, and how this may impact Europe’s energy supply.

Sergei MillianPresident of the Russian American Chamber of Commerce in the USA

The Glamorous Side of Europe: Luxury & Fashion

Europe’s success in fashion and luxury is unparalleled worldwide. Despite the current context, the luxury and fashion industries remain the shining stars from the continent. We will talk about the lessons we can draw from the success of these industries, and which roles these industries could play for the continent going forward.

Doing Business in Europe – Legal Perspectives

The panel purports to discuss whether the European legal framework as it currently stands, and particularly that of the EU, is conducive to doing business in Europe. Does Europe offer an attractive climate for investment and groundbreaking business initiatives- and if not, does law constitute part of a feasible response to this problem or is it, perhaps, part of the problem itself? High profile legal practitioners with an interest in EU regulatory/business affairs will share their insights from practice, while concentrating on important facets of European business regulation, such as antitrust, and tax law. Furthermore, the panel will address the question in a transnational, comparative perspective, attempting to bring in and utilize the U.S. experience in drawing meaningful conclusions for lawyers, policy-makers as well as the business world.

Investing in Europe: Opportunities Amidst the Storm?

This panel will explore the opportunities and challenges of investing in Europe as the continent seems mired in uncertainty, financial crises and recession. Why should investors take on the risks of investing in Europe and, if they choose to do so, where are the greatest opportunities to deploy their capital? How should we think about institutional investors and their fund flows as we try to understand the movements of European markets? And what steps should policy makers take to re-ascertain investors during these times? By fostering a debate between representatives from private equity, public capital markets and asset allocators, we hope to bring a multi-faceted perspective to these issues – and provide some food for thought going forward.

Green Tech: Future competitive advantage of Europe

The European Union (EU) has long prided itself on being a “leader” in the area of clean technologies and renewable energy. At political level, the EU sees “Green Growth” as being an important pillar for the future while many European countries have come a long way to promote renewable energy. Beyond fighting climate change, there are many good reasons to encourage the switch towards renewables (i.e. national security, job creation and the nature of fossil fuels). Public policies supporting the development of clean energy and green technologies have resulted in widely differing outcomes so far.

Ian BowlesManaging Director of WindSail Capital Group, Former Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs of Massachusetts

After years of short-term crisis management, the establishment of the permanent European Stability Mechanism (ESM) has now opened a new chapter in European economic integration. In our workshop, we are delighted to welcome the Secretary General and the Head of Corporate Governance of this youngest of the International Financial Institutions (IFIs). They will discuss with us the role of the ESM and of its temporary predecessor, the EFSF, in the management of the European debt crisis as well as the position of the ESM in the new economic governance structures in Europe that begin to take shape.

Kalin AnevSecretary General of the European Stability Mechanism and European Financial Stability Facility

Florian ZinoeckerHead of Corporate Governance and Internal Policies at the European Stability Mechanism

Greece: A Path Out of the Crisis

Greece has been in the eye of the hurricane during the last four years, struggling to restore economic stability and recover from a deep recession. However many commentators have recently pointed to favorable leading indicators as a glimmer of hope and potential investment interest. The panelists will leverage their deep expertise on the topic and the country in order to share their views on:

The political and business reforms required to accelerate Greece’s exit from the crisis, including the macroeconomic and financial reforms at the European and Greek level,

The internal and external constraints in implementing such reforms (at a political, social and economic level),

The type of political and business leadership required to overcome the acute dissatisfaction of the people and in particular the growing anxiety of the unemployed young people.